WE’RE BUILDING A GREAT LEGACY.

The rapidly evolving field of green building and climate positive development requires holistic, multidisciplinary systems thinking and teams. By way of our publications, our collaborative community generously shares leading-edge information on the planning, design, construction, performance – and beauty – of the built environment. To remove social and economic barriers, all of our publications are free. Find our building decarbonization and water reuse professional practice guides under the “Projects & Events” tab above. There’s no time to waste. Download the resources that are most applicable to your projects and advance your sustainability efforts today.

William J. Worthen Foundation welcomes powerful slate of new board members.

We are thrilled to announce the following new members of our Board of Directors: Jennifer Asselstine, Hafsa Burt, Indu Chakravarthy, Yash Chitale, Roshini Das, Ismar Enriquez, Barry Hooper, Gautami Palanki, and Brett Rosenberg. Learn more.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT THE BUILDING DECARBONIZATION PRACTICE GUIDE –

“… likely to be the go-to resource for building professionals working on sustainability in 2024” – GreenBiz

THE BUILDING DECARBONIZATION PRACTICE GUIDE:
A ZERO CARBON FUTURE FOR THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

The built environment contributes nearly 40% of overall carbon emissions. Consequently, reducing and eliminating carbon from the built environment — building decarbonization — is one of the best opportunities we have to combat climate change. The Building Decarbonization Practice Guide is a free resource for design professionals, developers, funders, and policymakers that demystifies the steps that are required today to create a zero carbon future. One of the most comprehensive, in-depth decarbonization guides, it is available by volume, for specific building types and issues, or as the recently completed 285-page full edition – at no charge.

"The Building Decarbonization Practice Guide is flat out one of the best resources out there to support decarbonization efforts. It’s incredibly comprehensive, spanning all aspects of decarbonization - which is extremely hard to find in a single, high-quality source. It’s also peer reviewed – drawing on a wide range of expert contributors and compiling the best knowledge and case studies available. Above all, the Guide is current, relevant and actionable. It provides clear technical guidance for practical actions you can take today."

– Stet Sanborn, AIA, CPHD,
Vice President, Mechanical Engineering Discipline Leader,
SmithGroup

Building decarbonization strategies and technologies are well-proven. Join the ranks of leading professionals who are stepping up to mitigate climate change. Download your playbook today and let’s get to work!

DOWNLOAD THE Guide. it’s free!

Join the movement.

Our high-value publications are accessible to everyone, everywhere, at no cost whatsoever. Our content teams volunteer their time, sharing their deep expertise, while the foundation business is run by a handful of dedicated folks, also volunteers.

Join us in our effort to transform the built environment, reduce carbon and create resilient communities. Make a donation in any amount today.

support our work with a donation in any amount.

Our nonprofit status requires donations from individuals, like you. Join these individuals who have donated to advance our work, some more than once. Check with your firm about corporate matches, too. Thank you!

Paul Adamson
Jill Anthes
Anne Argento
Troy Arnold
Lynne Baker
Brendan Bloom
Eden Brukman
Kenneth Caldwell
Stanford Carr
Andrew Chandler
William K Cleaveland
Jason Dries-Daffner
Jennifer Devlin
Nicholas Docous

Christopher Emerson
Kelly Fehr
Colleen FitzSimons
Richard Gonzalez
Margarita Gorokhovsky
John Grcina
Steven Guttmann
Steph Hallinan
David Herron
Daniel Hlad
Connor Hochleutner
Daniele Horton
Eric Hough
Chelsea Kaufman

Avery Kintner
Andy Klaski
Candice Kollar
Amanda Langweil
Christopher Law
Heidi Lubin
Tibisay Lugo
Enrico Martin
Randy Medenwald
Cameron Miller
Natalie Rico Patton
Kyle Pickett
Vivek Rao
Sharon Refvem

Andrea Reyes
Melinda Rosenberg
Michael Samar
Christine Schmitz
Christina Ser
Lynn Simon
Marlene SInicki
Michael Smith
Alice Sung
Aaron Tartakovsky
Jeffrey Til
Jonathan Weiss
Sarah White
Miriam Wrobel

WATER REUSE GUIDE v2.0

The award winning Onsite Non-Potable Water Reuse Practice Guide was developed and published in 2018 with funding and in-kind support from Google, AIA-CA, Charles Pankow Foundation, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, City of Santa Monica, and the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation. Since it’s publication, it has been downloaded over 5,000 times, received Certificates of Recognition from the State of California legislative bodies, instigated action by the State of California to develop statewide standards for onsite non-potable water treatment and reuse systems, and is cited as a resource in the United Nations Global Compact CEO Water Mandate library. Free download here.

Water reuse is a fast moving field. We are currently organizing and raising funds to update to the guide.

WRPG v2.0 will offer the leading-edge practical knowledge that building designers, contractors, owners, operators, and those that regulate this application need to understand, based on lessons from the field since the original Guide’s publication. This update will provide these professionals with information needed to properly scope and integrate onsite water reuse systems into the built environment. While not intended as a design guide, WRPG v2.0 will educate readers about concepts related to water budgets, evaluating project delivery alternatives, and convening a qualified project team. It will empower design professionals to think differently about water and communicate how and why all water is a design resource.

For information about aligning with us as a Water Reuse Guide sponsor, get in touch with Kyle Pickett.

To learn more about the project, review the current volume. You many also request a copy of the research needs statement for Version 2.0.

Download the Onsite Non-potable Water Reuse Practice Guide here

WORK IN PROGRESS.

To increase accessibility to our free resources around the world, a Spanish translation of the Building Decarbonization Practice Guide is underway. For information about aligning with us to sponsor this Worth-y work, please reach out to Steve Guttmann.

Colorful Mexican graphic — Image by Freepik

DONATE now

Make an impact. Support our work.

This climate emergency won’t wait and we just can’t do this without you. Whether you’re an individual or an organization, support us in our mission. Working together we can accelerate our impact.

2024 sponsors –

VERDANI PARTNERS

Verdani Partners is a leading full-service consulting firm with over 20 years of experience in sustainability and ESG for real estate. Driven by a mission is to empower organizations with cost-effective strategies to create sustainable buildings and communities, Verdani Partners delivers sustainability and ESG consulting with an owner's perspective.

get in touch to learn more about Corporate sponsorship opportunities

For information about opportunities to align your brand with the Worthen Foundation as a corporate sponsor, reach out to Steve Guttmann or Kyle Pickett.

Thanks in advance!

Across the nation, we are realizing a green wave of all-electric buildings. Here’s proof.

Electrification is key to decarbonization. Electrified Buildings is a case study database of all-electric buildings, an initiative of e6 Development in collaboration with the William J. Worthen Foundation, AIA California and NBI. Consider enriching the data base by adding your all-electric property today! electrifiedbuildings.org

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